Author: Father Albert

Fall Ember Days

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     You may remember that earlier this year, I invited you to join me in observing the Ember Days. The Ember Days are a traditional time of prayer and fasting connected to each season of the year. The idea is to sanctify – to make holy – each  season. While not as popular now, the practice of fasting has always been a central part of the Christian call to holiness. It purifies our attachment to food, reminds us of the fact that many go without, and gives us a chance to remind our bodies that there is more to life...Read More

Series on the Mass # 4

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     If the Mass is so great, how do we get people to come? Why do so many people not enjoy it? Worthwhile questions. As I touched on in the homily, simply inviting people to come to Mass with you usually isn’t enough. If a liturgy is done well, a visitor might see that it’s important to us. They can see that it is full of meaning and symbolism and they might get something out of the prayers and preaching. Still, the heart of the Mass — the Eucharist — is a profound mystery that takes mature faith. It’s not...Read More

Finding Lost Souls

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Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                 September 15, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Well, wasn’t that a long Gospel? And why so long… why three parables instead of one? Wasn’t the one about the sheep enough? We sin, God comes to get us, and everything is great after. Did we really need to stand so long to listen to the rest? Yes, we did. Not every sinner is the same. Not every path to repentance is the same so we need to hear more than one way for the Mercy of God to...Read More

The Tower of Faith

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Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                   September 8, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette If you think I’ve been optimistic about what people get out of going to a Sunday Mass, then you’ve already realized something very important: Mass is not for beginners. Repenting from sin, putting effort into the same old responses every week, and “feasting” on readings we don’t always understand. Add to these the incredible belief that bread and wine invisibly turn into God himself, and you’d be crazy to think just anybody would “get it” after one visit. This is...Read More

Series on the Mass # 3

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     As we learned last week, the celebration of the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of the Christian life. All things in the universe come from God and are meant to return to God: source and summit. Since the Eucharist is God Himself, it makes sense that our lives follow this same cosmic pattern with the Mass.      But, the Eucharist is not everything in between. Between our creation and Heaven there is a real journey with choices that matter. The Mass is the “source” of the Christian life because it feeds us with God’s Word and the Body...Read More

The Feast

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Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                            September 1, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Jesus likes food so much, he actually became food. Even before giving the Eucharist to his Apostles, you can see it in his ministry. Here he is at dinner with a pharisee and offers two lessons involving food. Really, they are more about about the occasion: a meal, a gathering to share food and company. And that is, in part, what we do here at Mass. The past two weeks have been about what you do before Mass – repentance...Read More

Series on the Mass #2

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Putting effort into our worship is clearly important. God deserves the best we can give, so it’s hard to argue with that. That’s not to say that we should be afraid that what we have to offer isn’t good enough. He knows our weaknesses and limitations. The standard of “effort” for God is not some arbitrary benchmark or standard-ized test. His standard, in all things, is love. A beautiful liturgy performed by hypocrites means very little to God in comparison to a messy one performed by saints. At the same time, if a person claims they are trying hard but...Read More

Series on the Mass #1

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I know I talk about Mass a lot. Don’t worry, it’s not going to be the only thing I ever focus on. It’s just the first step in a larger plan. I do want to build community, do outreach, and have some fun too! But, it’s important to maintain priorities. I want to start by building up our understanding of and participation in the worship of God because God comes first. With a solid core and foundation, we can expand to the many other aspects of Church life. In the fall of 2008, I had a deeper conversion and return...Read More

Striving to Sing

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Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                    August 25, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette “I’m a good person. I never killed anyone.” I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that. People often say this to me whenever the subject of hell comes up, or confession, or the need for repentance. Just last week, Jesus warned us that really following him will cause division because repentance means being divided from sin. We saw how the Mass itself expects us to take repentance seriously, asking us to repent at least twice every time we come...Read More

The Power of Unanswered Prayer

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Homily for Mass @ CHS – Queenship of Mary                                            August 22, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                            Catholic High, New Iberia When you go to Disney World, don’t forget to go to Sunday Mass. There are a few options in the area, but the closest one is a church called the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. That’s what we celebrate today. Mary is the Queen of the Universe. As the mother of the King, Mary is queen of not only the physical universe, but of heaven itself. What do you think of when you...Read More